Bowlegged hair fastener



June 27, 1944. 1', VAN HQUSEN' JR 7 2,352,419

'BOW-LEGGED HAIR FASTENER v Q Filed March 25, 1943 Q SAMW Patented June 27, 1944 FICE BOWLEGGED HAIR FASTENER Thomas C. Van Housen signor to scolding L ton, Wis.

Jr., Appleton, Wis, asocks Corporation, Apple- Application March 25, 1943, Serial No. 480,506

1 Claim.

My invention has for its object to provide a four pronged ringlet hair pin embodying a short outer pair associated with a long inner pair of prongs, whereby hair confining loops are developed to provide a double arced inner pocket for grasping and confining a full tuft of hair and a pair of short hair confining outer loop' pockets having restricted inlet openings and gradually increasing pocket areas to the base of said loop. Thus multiple windings of a tuft of hair is retained therein to develope a ringlet or curl, the inner loop serving to retain a second tuft of hair for securely anchoring the pin near the scalp of the user. Hence the prongs will retain their normal position while a curl or ringlet is setting.

The above noted invention is an improvement upon that type of hair pin disclosed in Patent #2,272,409 dated Feb. 10, 1942. In said patent a pair of long center prongs are spaced apart to provide a narrow groove and in practice it has been found that a tuft of hair entering this groove will spring the long tines apart, which tends to impair their elasticity and also mar or break the hair of said tuft, due to the biting effect. The outer pair of shorter prongs, in this structure, form confining loops that develope spreading entrance throats, whereby the loops are more or less open and tend to cause the coils of the ringlet to loosen from the loop, due to the fact that said loops or pockets do not develope restricted mouths, whereby the coils of hair are confined. With the above and other minor objects in view the invention consists in certain peculiarities of construction and combination of parts as will be hereinafter fully set forth with reference to the accompanying drawing and specifically claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 represents a face view. of a ringlet forming hair fastener embodying the features of my invention.

Figure 2 is a side, elevational view of the same on an enlarged scale.

Figure 3 is a cross, sectional view of the fastener as indicated by line 3-3 of Figure 1 on an enlarged scale.

Referring by characters to the drawing, I indicates a head and 2-2 long central tines extending therefrom. These tines are bowed from top to bottom and their inner edges form a double arced loop of material width at its central portion and gradually contracted at the top and bottom portions. Near the end of the tines 2 2 their inner edges are in practical contact; whereby the loop is closed and said edges form a re stricted throat from which point the edges of the tines are flared outwardly to form receiving lips 2'.

The upper ends of the inner edges of the tines are preferably merged by a circular channel terminating with a narrow groove whereby resiliency and strength at the base of the tine is insured.

The head has also extending therefrom a pair of outer short tines 3 3 spaced from the outer edges of the inner tines to form pockets for the windings of a tuft of hair, whereby a curl or ringlet is developed, Each of these short loops has a rounded base adjacent the head, of material width, andfrom this point the loops gradually contract in a downward direction to develope a restricted hair receiving throat 3, from which point the inner edges of the short tines are flared outwardly to form, in conjunction with the outer edges of the inner tines, a. wide receiving mouth 4.

The fastener is especially adapted to be manufactured from any resilient plastic material, but thin metal may be used for stamping the same.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that in the use of the fastener, a tuft of hair is wound about the outer edges of the inner tines to form coils and the same are then forced through themouth and restricted throat of the outer loops or pockets, whereby the coils are confined by the base of said loop and the restricted throats to insure retaining the same without material distortion of the short prongs. The fastener is then secured to the scalp of the head by a tuft of hair which is engaged by the flared ends of the long tines and as the fastener is pushed to its permanent position for confinement, the ends of the tines will spread slightly and permit the tuft of hair, of material volume, to pass within the double arced loop, whereby said tuft of hair is locked in its position without exerting a material bite upon the strands of hair.

While I have shown and described one exemplification of my invention, minutely as to detail, it is understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the claim.

I claim:

A ringlet forming hair fastener comprising a resilient fiat body having a head, a companion pair of centrally disposed oppositely bowed long tines extending therefrom forming a double arced loop contracted at its free end to engage each other and from said point flared outwardly forming lips, a companion pair of shorter outer tines extending from the head each spaced from its associated long tine, forming therewith a ringlet retaining looped pocket having a restricted hair receiving throat, the end portion terminating with a flared mouth, each loop pocket being widened from its restricted throat to its base, whereby the loops form confining pockets for windings of a lock of hair.

THOMAS C. VAN HOUSEN, JR. 

